Case Study #1

Alexander Hiller
Professor Moranville
MGT 200
Alexander Hiller

As the president of a multiunit hotel chain, replacing a manager for one of the larger

hotels can be a hard decision. There are many factors that play a role which can cause both

positive and negative outcomes. In this situation, we have four different individuals who will

potentially be the next manager for one of the larger hotels. Each of the four individuals

currently has a different position, skill sets, salary, and level of education. As the president, it is

important to make the best decision that will help the company continue to be successful and

grow. To start the evaluation, I will list in order the individuals who are the least qualified for the

manager position, thus the last individual listed will get the job.

The individual who I found the least qualified for the manager position is John Hake.

John Hake is a hard driving and ready to advance individual. He has earned a BS in Management

from East Stroudsburg University and is technically competent in cost and control. He has a

good guest relationship and has been the manager of a small hotel for five years in which he has

increased the profit considerably. John makes $78,000, which would be the lowest pay raise

from the others. Although these are good qualities to have, John’s bad qualities outweigh them.

The lack of experience and being young, only 34 years old, play a role in deciding who gets the

job. The deciding factor that made John the least qualified for the job is that he is considered

self-serving, and other personnel feel that he has used them. Many of his subordinates will

consider leaving or transfer if he remains as their manager. While operating a large hotel, the

manager must not think of themself or use personnel. If John were to be the manager of a larger

hotel other employees would consider leaving due to his selfish ways. John will remain at the

hotel he currently is positioned at.

The next individual who I found least qualified for the manager position after John is

Wayne Ashenfelter. Wayne Ashenfelter, 38 years old, has worked in the controller’s office for

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Alexander Hiller

10 years and has a large background in finance. Having this background and experience would

help a large hotel gain profit. He has earned an MBA in Finance from Penn State University, and

currently makes $75,000 which would be a small raise compared to other candidates if he were

to get the position. Although Wayne overall is a good employee, he has lots of flaws that make

him the next least qualified individual to get the job. Wayne has little operational skill and

dealing with people is not his forte. He also is hard-nosed, and a nuts-and bolts type of person.

While being the manager of a large hotel, a person must have operational skills, or they will

become overwhelmed and not know how to deal with situations. A manager must also be able to

deal with people, and most importantly the customers. Although sometimes being hard-nosed

and a nuts-and bolts type of person is a good thing, for a large hotel new ideas and creativity

need to be brought to the table. Hopefully Wayne will remain at his position and not leave.

Although it was a tough decision, the next individual who I found least qualified for the

manager position after Wayne is Elizabeth Forney. Elizabeth Forney, 57 years old, has been my

assistant for nearly 15 years. She is a trustworthy and confidant employee who others like due to

her ingratiating personality. She has had managerial experience, but her main forte is public

relations. Elizabeth currently makes $72,000, which would be a $10,000 pay increase if she were

to get the job. Although Elizabeth is a fantastic employee, she is not a conceptual person and

sometimes requires direction. This is the main reason that she will not receive the managerial

position. Elizabeth also did not receive a college education. While being the manager at a large

hotel, a person must be able to think of good ideas in the smartest manner. A manager at a large

hotel also must take matters in their own hands without being told what to do, and especially

without constant guidance. Typically, while filling in this position a person should have received

some type of a college degree. Elizabeth will remain as my assistant.

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Alexander Hiller

The individual who I found the most qualified for the manager position and will be

promoted is Paula Miller. Paula Miller, 42 years old, has worked at a similar hotel for 7 years as

the assistant manager. At first, she only earned a BA in Fine Arts, but she went on to earn an

Associates Degree in Hospitality Management from a local community college. Although this is

not the highest degree of education, she still has something to show. Paula has well-rounded

experience in a variety of fields, gets along with guests, and is considered fair to other workers.

Although she can be demanding with subordinates, other workers generally like and respect her.

Paula is the most qualified for this job due to her 7 years of experience as assistant manager at

another large-scaled hotel and being able to get along with other workers and guests. Another

factor that makes Paula the most qualified is that she has lots of experience in many fields, rather

than one. Although Paula currently earns $62,000, and it will be a $24,000 pay raise, it is well

worth it.

Congratulations Paula on your new position as Manager! We can not wait to see what

you have to offer this company and the great job you are going to do. Once again,

congratulations from myself, and the other executives.